Google has been testing the new version in beta for a few months and will now start making it available to all verified users. Users will receive a message once their site is available in the new Search Console.
Functionality will include redesigned Search Performance and Index Coverage, as well as AMP status and Job Posting reports. Users will welcome the expansion of data in Search Performance to 16 months, making it easier to analyse long term trends. Google has also added the ability to share reports internally within an organization, to simplify internal knowledge sharing and collaboration.
While Google continues work on adding features the two versions will exist side by side, and users will be able to move easily between the old and new Search Console via links in the navigation bar.
Search Performance
Search performance is similar to the current Search Analytics. It has 16 months of data, which is something users have been requesting. The data will also be made available via the Search Console API in the near future.
Search Console help gives full details about the Search Performance feature.
Index Coverage
The updated Index Coverage report gives a comprehensive insight into how your site is being indexed by Google and makes it easy to find tools to test and resubmit URLs. Google says:
“It shows correctly indexed URLs, warnings about potential issues, and reasons why Google isn't indexing some URLs. The report is built on our new Issue tracking functionality that alerts you when new issues are detected and helps you monitor their fix.”
Google’s screenshot outlines the process in these numbered steps:
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Clicking any error URL brings up page details and links to diagnostic tools to help understand the source of the problem.
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The new Share button in Search Console lets you share the report within your team to facilitate a fix.
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Select a flagged issue and click on Validate Fix to confirm you’ve resolved the problem. Google will recrawl and reprocess the URL with higher priority.
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Google says the Index Coverage report works best for sites that have submitted a sitemap. You can use the sitemap filter to focus on an exact list of URLs.
Search Console help on Index Coverage gives more details.
The AMP status and Job Posting reports also focus on providing error data. You’ll be able to see which AMP urls have errors, get diagnostic help, and resubmit once fixed. For those with job listings on their site, the Job Posting report will show indexing stats and any errors.
For full details on the new Search Console rollout, see Google’s blog post.
